Soaring numbers of pensioners will spend Christmas in A&E

More than 5,000 pensioners over the age of 80 will spend Christmas Day in accident and emergency departments amid a spiralling crisis in social care, new figures suggest.

The official data show that in the last six years, the number of elderly patients spending December in A&E has risen by one quarter, far oustripping the increase in the ageing population.

On current trends, 5,126 men and women aged 80 and over can expect to spent the festive season in hospital, often for lack of care from home helps or their own families.

These figures are symbolic of the wider pressures facing the NHS this winter.
“Our population is getting older and a growing number of frail elderly people will find themselves in A&E over the Christmas period. How hospitals cope with this increasing demand will determine how well the NHS performs this winter.Ben Nunn, Incisive Health

Experts said the figures from NHS Digital reflected a wider crisis in care of the elderly, amid growing pressures.

“Our population is getting older and a growing number of frail elderly people will find themselves in A&E over the Christmas period. How hospitals cope with this increasing demand will determine how well the NHS performs this winter.”

Regulators have warned that a crisis in elderly care has reached a “tipping point” with widespread closures of residential homes and record levels of bedblocking in hospitals for want of social care.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director said: “Sadly, amidst cuts to care the high numbers of older people in A&E are unsurprising as the support to live well and independently is often simply not there for them.

"As a result, some older people are having to rely on A& E as the only source of help available.

"This year some older people have also been telling us that the social care service they normally receive in their own home is set to be very significantly scaled back over the Christmas period because of staffing issues - meaning they will not receive the help they need, reducing their chances of staying fit and well and making Christmas pretty miserable for them too."

She said hospital staff were now at risk of being "overwhelmed"by the numbers of older people in need of help and with nowhere else to go .

Yesterday it emerged that a scheme to reduce pressure on an Accident and Emergency unit has been suspended following the death of a man denied casualty treatment just six days after it launched.

An NHS Improvement spokesman said: “Getting people home for Christmas is not just better for them, but also enables the NHS to deal with the additional people who come to hospital over the holiday period.

“The NHS, which has been dealing with unprecedented levels of demand, is working flat out to make sure as many patients as possible can spend Christmas at home."

Care can be one of the biggest financial decisions in anyone's lifeCredit:
Alamy

Heart-related deaths spike at Christmas, new research suggests.

The study of more than 700,000 deaths found a 4.2 per cent rise in fatalities outside of hospitals, in the fortnight starting on Christmas Day.

Researchers said emotional stress associated with the holidays, changes in diet and alcohol consumption, the exertion of extra travel and a reduction in staff at medical facilities might explain the surge.

They also said those who fell ill around Christmas might be less likely to seek out help.

Deaths rise in winter, as cold weather can cause the blood vessels to constrict and the blood to thicken, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Christmas can bring stress as well as fun Credit:
Alamy

Last winter, an extra 5,900 people died from heart disease and strokes in England and Wales.

But the new study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, took place in New Zealand, where Christmas occurs during the summer season, and death rates are usually at a seasonal low.

This meant researcher could isolate “the holiday effect”.

Study author Josh Knight, from the University of Melbourne said: "The Christmas holiday period is a common time for travel within New Zealand, with people frequently holidaying away from their main medical facilities. This could contribute to delays in both seeking treatment, due to a lack of familiarity with nearby medical facilities, and due to geographic isolation from appropriate medical care in emergency situations."